The CSUDH softball team has their sights set on a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, and have come roaring out of the gate this season. After a four-game sweep of Stanislaus State at Toro Diamond over the weekend, the Toros can boast a 11-3 record and stand in first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference standings.
How does the team maintain consistency year-to-year, despite losing key players to graduation? “It always starts with continuing to develop good people,” says head coach Jim Maier. “We focus on moving them forward academically, and then we focus on trying to win games.”
This season saw the Toros lose several outstanding players, including pitcher Alyssa Olague and hard-hitting infielder Raquel Jaime. Both players were essential to the team’s tournament drives in 2022 and 2023, but this year’s Toros have hit the ground running with a squad full of veteran leaders and young, hungry players.
Among the returnees are pitcher Ashley Wies, infielder Kaylee Hull, catcher Maiya Lopez, and outfielder Alex Davis. Key additions include several transfer students: pitcher Mariah Ramirez (from Weber State University), catcher/infielder Samantha Kwiatkowski (from Cal State Northridge), and pitcher Lilliana Garcia (from Fullerton State).
“Each year is full of new players and graduates that make a major impact on how we do,” says Maier. “We try to stay focused on giving each new team a world class experience, move players toward graduation, and compete for championships.”
The Toros’ current eleven-game winning streak has them at the top of the CCAA in the early going, but Maier warns that it will be a long, tough conference season. “Every CCAA team is tough and can give us great competition. The top teams last year were Sonoma State, Cal State San Bernardino, and Cal State San Marcos, but any team can beat any other on the day.”
After losing in the West Regionals last season, this year’s Toros are determined to make a longer tournament run this year. “We consider those losses in the regionals to be learning experiences,” says Maier. “We learned, regrouped, and moved on, although it can be hard to predict how last season will impact the upcoming one.”
Early results are positive, but the Toros will have to remain on the top of their game to maintain their CCAA frontrunner status.The CSUDH softball team continues its season on Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2, against Sonoma State University. The Toros’ complete schedule and results can be found at https://gotoros.com/sports/softball/schedule
